Managing your career with Mind Maps

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Aug 23, 2009 in Mind Mapping, Mind Maps at Work, Personal Mind Maps | 2 comments

Mind Maps in the beginning

Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Maps, was doing research on the working of the brain when he invented Mind Maps. The result of his efforts, the Mind Map, enabled people to discover the wonders and unlimited potential of our wonderful brain. It also gave the ordinary person the ability to awaken the genius within.

The main focus of his landmark work, ‘Use your Head’, was how to improve your memory with Mind Maps. A secondary theme was how to improve your reading and how to improve your reading speed, while increasing your comprehension.

While he touched on a few other topics, such as speeches, meetings and writing, the bulk of the book was on memory and reading.

Mind Maps today

Over the years Mind Maps have been used in very diverse applications. I’ve written about many of them on my website, MindMapTutor.com.

With Mind Maps you can learn:

• How to improve memory
• How to improve reading
• How to improve writing
• How to improve communication skills
• How to improve planning
• How to improve time management
• How to improve career growth
• And much more…

Today, I will provide you with a comprehensive Mind Map on the components needed to manage your career. We are putting together a set of Mind Maps for each of the components in this Mind Map.

What authority do I have?

You may be wondering what authority I have to write on this subject. You may wonder whether I am extremely wealthy, or whether I profess to be one of the management gurus, or whether I am qualified to give advice on careers, or whether I do this for a living.

Well, the answer is ‘No’, on all accounts.

• I am not extremely wealthy
• I am not a management guru
• I am not a career counsellor
• I don’t do this for a living

But, what I can say is:

• I am happy with what I am earning
• I am a senior manager at a large fashion retailer
• I have mapped and actively managed my career
• I am writing this because I have a passion for what Mind Maps can do for mankind

A bit of career history

For those of you that know a bit of South African history, you will know that South Africa was under apartheid rule for decades. It was under these circumstances that I started working.

Due to factors out of my control, I was born with a darker skin. I therefore had to face job reservation, disparate salaries and little opportunities. Despite these factors, I always had a belief that my success laid in my own hands.

I started as a technician, repairing telex machines. Today, I head up the Business Intelligence division of a large corporate. Did this come about by luck?

To answer this, let’s take a quick tour of my career.

As I’ve just mentioned, I started my career as a technician. One day, on my way to the ‘store’, where we booked out the spare parts for our repairs, I saw a guy in front of a terminal typing away. He was an expert that came to do some work on our inventory system.

On questioning him, I learned that he was working on a product called Oracle running on a mainframe computer. What he showed me was very exciting. Over the next few days, I peppered him with questions, which he gladly answered. While this came as a surprise at the time, I later realised that there are many people with knowledge who are willing to share information freely. All you have to do is ask!

I remember quite clearly saying to him, ‘I also want to do this!’, little realising that Oracle would one day become the second biggest software vendor in the world and the world’s largest enterprise software company.

That was in 1990. In 1998, I left South African shores to work in The Netherlands as a Senior Oracle DBA (Database Administrator).

In databases, I found the love for the use of data in an organisation. Today, I head up a Business Intelligence division, which takes raw data, turns it into information and gives companies a competitive edge. The company’s only sustainable advantage is its ability to learn faster than its competitor.

On the way to becoming this, I spent time as a database programmer, a database administrator, a database designer, a database consultant and finally a manager.

I did not gain all this experience by chance. While it was not planned as well as it could have been, there was an underlying plan and direction.

This plan, coupled with my passion for data and finally turning it into information, enabled me to continuously grow my career, get international experience and do the job that I love.

Managing your career

The ability to maintain a dynamic career path and develop a portfolio of skills and achievements is a must for today’s worker.

I have put together a series of Mind Maps to help you map your career by building on past experience and maximising your opportunities to achieve success and fulfilment in your working life.

It covers reviewing your current situation, exploring career options, monitoring development, and handling crisis and change. In fact all the key aspects of managing your career are covered.

There are also practical tips and self assessment exercises to evaluate how well you have managed your career to date.

Components of career management

Mapping the future

Effective planning is at the heart of career success. Assess your position now, decide where you want to be, and then use your experience to help you map the best route for the future.

Exploring career options

It is important to be aware of the kind of work that is currently available in the marketplace. Do enough research as possible and use your network of friends and contacts. These days, networks can be extended across the globe with Social Networks like Facebook.

Developing your Career

Career changes happen at intervals, but even the most determined job changer will have to work in a particular role most of the time. Learn how to manage your working life between the changes.

Achieving Career Success

As your career develops, twists and turns are inevitable. Be prepared to overcome obstacles, change direction when necessary, and turn events to your advantage to that yo can continue to thrive.

I hope this brief introduction to managing your career makes you realise that your career is more in your own hands than you think. I also hope that it will get you to start taking action and actively begin to manage your career.